Residents Join Hands To Strengthen Crime Prevention
The Mutlah Street Duavata Community Policing group has 32 volunteer members who focus on having a crime-free zone and to support Police in their role.
Monday 01 April 2019 | 09:00
Mutlah Community Members in front of the first billboard with SP Lepani Liga (second from left). Photo: Fiji Police
The residents of Mutlah Street in the Sugar City, Lautoka, have joined hands to take crime prevention in their neighbourhood to a new level.
Mutlah Street, which is located in Field 40, launched three of their crime prevention billboards on Saturday in the presence of the divisional manager for Community Policing West (DMCP/W) Superintendent of Police (SP) Lepani Liga and officers from Lautoka Police Station.
The founder of Mutlah Street Duavata Community Policing group, Arun Sami, said people depended on Police to prevent crime without realising that it was everyone’s responsibility.
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“We focus on preventing crime in our own backyard first and over the weekends we have our members patrolling our neighbourhood at night,” Mr Sami said.
“During the day time we visit houses and conduct safety awareness.”
The Mutlah Street Duavata Community Policing group has 32 volunteer members who focus on having a crime-free zone and to support Police in their role.
“We are trying to tell other neighbourhoods to join the fight against crime so that their families can live in a crime free environment,” Mr Sami said.
“Offences in this neighbourhood have dropped significantly and we have contributed to that. If we can do it, I am challenging other neighbourhoods in Fiji to do it”.
SP Liga said the Mutlah Street Duavata Community Policing team had taken a bold stand against crime and he congratulated members on their effort.
“Police cannot do the job of preventing crime on our own and that’s why we are always advocating community partnership,” SP Liga said.
“This is a historic occasion and you have really shown the way for crime prevention in the Western Division.”
According to Mr Sami, the future plans for the Mutlah team included putting up more Crime Prevention billboards around the city area and purchasing a new vehicle for Police.
“Getting a new vehicle for our Police will be another milestone achievement for us and we are thinking of launching this in a big way in the month of June,” Mr Sami said.
Edited by Percy Kean
